TLC Whole Health Center Poems & Prose Page

Darkness of Being

Enter the darkness of being;
Where magic is demonstrated daily;
To lure you into the surrealism of falsified reality
A place where one ponders the meaning of simple existence.
Enter the darkness of being;
Where complex rites of passage entice
Troubled souls to sacrifice their beliefs
And forces them to examine their purpose in life.
When no answer presents itself;
The lonesome soldier turns into a savage beast;
That lunges against himself in self-hatred;
And screams to the world that he hates his brother;
For committing one thousand wrongs;
The soilder screaming into the night;
Becomes fearful because he feels that
No one is listening to his pain;
He thinks no one cares about him;
He goes out into the night;
Kneels down on the ground and feverously prays;
Dear Lord, please forgive me for my sins,
For I am just a man intoxicated by chaos.
I have no one to turn to so I am searching you out;
I have committed one thousand sins;
Lived with the darkness of being;
I am now searching for some light in my life;
I long to be redeemed;
Then the soilder begins to scream;
The volume of his voice echoes thru an entire city;
Slowly his screams begin to vibrate;
The soilder starts to listen to himself;
Only to realize that he hears the echoes of other men
Screaming in pain, "Please care for me oh, Lord,
So I can enter out of this darkness of being."
The soilder rises from the ground;
Thanks the Lord for his insight,
As he walks towards his brothers;
He begins to see the darkness of being within himself;
He caresses himself;
And in that moment;
The soldier becomes a man.

Robin

The .99 Cent Man

I cried, feeling less of a man
Thinking about all the boys without fathers
I grieve, feeling less of a man
Wanting the past to be right
Wondering why
I cry, feeling less of a man
Cheated while I was watching,
but not able to defend myself
I cry, feeling less of a man
Not wanting another soul to experience my pain,
But yet, inflicting the pain through ignorance
I feel less of a man
Searching for answers to answers of my own questions
I grieve, feeling less of a man
To have feeling makes me feel less of a man,
But now, I'm a dying boy feeling less of a man.

Ben Pitts

STOP

I want to stop the pain
It's ripping me apart
Fear of hope paralyzes me
If I could just hurt enough outside
Maybe I would not hurt inside
Beating, kicking, screaming, yelling
Constantly fighting enveloping shame
Confusion intrusion
External numbness
Torrential pain
Restricting fear
Exclusion infusion
Screaming losing
Slashing flashing
Confining shame
Eternal battle
Massive guilt
Desired escape
I want to stop the pain
It's ripping me apart
My rage has climaxed
Release must start

Cheryl

Internal Disruptions

Life got me down
Onto all fours today
What a price
I had to pay

Ego mind decreed
A change in status quo
Tho prepared for repercussions
Systems simply said NO!

Obstruction of justice
A demanding co-pilot’s plight
Workers in rebellion
Went out on strike

No thoughful consideration
Nor chance to redress
Demands upset tranquility
Having created on masterful mess

Change is good
Growth can galvanize
Divergent paths
Need to harmonize

life is but a journey
At times to one’s dismay
Love yourself always
Honor shall win out the day.

Mark H.

A Poem: Untitled

Muscles tense. I feel it in my triceps, shoulders and neck.

Teeth clenched. Molars grinding, my jaw is sore.

Short breaths, I hold it in and let it out.

Periodicially, in gasps, negative thoughts

Tainted dark and pessimistic, painful heart.

Dread and despair are what I feel.

Anxiety, Stress, Depression.

Existential crisis, Involutionary species.

One day, I will be extinct, what value does the energy

Of my existence have? Go on or Die?

"To Be or Not to Be?"

That is the Question.

Dale

My Treasure Chest

I found my treasure chest today

I looked inside at what I put away

My most cherished possessions I saw

I could only stare at them in awe

For I had found my hope and trust

The faith I had stored was a must

My innocence and playfulness were there

My gentleness was packed away with care

Then there at the bottom of my chest

I discovered the love I put to rest

That special love I had saved for me

With belief in myself and all I would be.

Cheryl

White Light

When I awoke, the moon had already done her night work ... leaked her icy light upon your face and bare left shoulder, freezing you for the moment in her coolness. I dipped my hand into the glow on your shoulder and felt it's magic. The sweetness of night blooming jasmine curled up round us like a shawl.

This is how I will remember us when we are we no more. No word ... like burnt dry toast that sticks in the throat ... no tired expressions of this or that, just this piece of time when we fit so nicely together like puppies nuzzling in the dark ... adrift on a down-covered raft pulled along by the gentle current for our entangled dreams. It is at this very moment that I see your strength, like alabaster, and I know you are as constant as the moon.

The chalky bones and bending spines of the future do not scare me. I see that the soul can stay as tender and supple as the first leaf on the maple tree. In this white light of predawn I know you as I know myself and I accept the dark and the light of us. I curl into your warmth, satiated with the knowledge of love.

Pauline

"Work Dreams"

Would sleep by any other name be as sweet?

Distraction, identification, denial.

Are these so sweet as dreams?

Numbly sitting, time flowing, thick like mud.

Of mind, body and spirit, only the mind stirs and it spins desperately.

Rnnnnnnnnggggg! Jarred to the present and out of the dream.

What was I dreaming? It seemed so real.

Wish I could remember my sleep.

Perhaps then I could tell the difference.

T.B.